Desert Isle Keeper

Dreaming of You (#8 on our Top 100 Romances list)

He was born in a drainpipe, abandoned by his mother and raised by prostitutes until he was old enough to work as a climbing boy cleaning chimneys. He gave himself a name as he was born without one. He does not know how old he is or the day on which he was born. He has survived by working as a thief, grave-robber and a gigolo, earning enough money to start his own gaming club and become one of the wealthiest men in London.

She was born and raised by elderly parents in Greenwood corners. She has been courted by the same man for four years, but they have shared no more than a few uninspiring kisses under the disapproving stare of his overbearing mama. She writes books about the seamier side of life, travelling to London’s rookery to do her research. Underneath her quiet, lady-like veneer is a passionate woman, crying out for a little excitement in her life.

In Dreaming of You, Lisa Kleypas takes two characters who are so different on the surface and fits them together like pieces of a puzzle, making them whole. Derek Craven is a self-educated, self-made man. He has done many unsavory things in order to survive. Although he has had many lovers – the latest of which is the very mentally disturbed Lady Joyce Ashby – he believes himself not only incapable of love, but unworthy of it as well.

Sara Fielding is a proper young woman whose novels have earned her a large following across the country. Her characters are so vivid that most people refuse to believe they’re not real people. She longs for love and excitement, hoping that someday Perry Kingswood will actually propose marriage to her. During a night of research, she stumbles upon two thugs attacking another man. She pulls a pistol from her reticule to fire a warning shot and accidentally kills one of the men, effectively saving the man from further injury from his attackers.

Sara is ecstatic to discover that the bloodied man she helps home is the Derek Craven, as she has been hoping to gain entrance into his exclusive club to do further research for her novel. Derek, however, is less than pleased to be in her debt. The two reach an agreement and Sara begins spending more and more time around the club, interviewing the servants, club employees and the house wenches who are allowed to conduct their business out of rooms in the back.

The more Derek sees of her, the more his attraction to her grows, but he has even bigger problems on his hands. The scorned Lady Ashby becomes obsessed with him. She is out for revenge and eventually sets her sights on Sara. To make matters worse, a business rival is constantly trying to run him out of business.

Sara’s attraction for Derek is growing as well, but he is convinced she is better off without such a low-life as himself. Although they share a passionate kiss, Derek spurns her in order to protect her. Even after he has saved her from three randy young bucks out to separate her from her virtue, he is sure he is not good enough for her. When he takes her back to her lodgings and says good-bye, Sara realizes that she will never see him again.

She returns home to her family and Perry, but nothing is the same. Her time in London has given her more backbone and it isn’t long before her relationship with Perry falls apart – no thanks to his meddlesome mother. Sara receives an invitation to a weekend house party where both Derek and Lady Ashby are in attendence. Derek is none too pleased to see her, and Lady Ashby’s machinations almost ruin Sara’s reputation. The end result in the one thing Sara wants most and Derek fears most – their marriage. After a few days of passion, Derek takes her back to her parents’ home, where they are wed.

The course of love does not run smooth for Sara and Derek, but both learn to overcome their fears and insecurities. Derek learns to open up his heart and allow himself to love and be loved. Lady Ashby makes one last desperate attempt to ruin their happiness, and it is when faced with the possibility of actually losing her that Derek realizes how much Sara actually means to him.

I’ve read quite a few Kleypas books, but this is one of her finest. The sexual tension between Sara and Derek is established early and fairly hums through the course of the book until they finally give in to it before their marriage. Their passion reflects their feelings for each other – real, earthy and very nearly uncontrollable.

I can’t possibly say enough about Derek Craven. There is a sweetness to him that is almost heartbreaking – dangerous even, but he makes no excuses for what he is or what he has done to rise above his birth. It is because of him that I absolutely love this book. Kleypas’s flawless prose certainly adds to the book’s appeal, along with a great hero and wonderful secondary characters that are beyond one-dimensional flatness. If you are looking for a heroine to respect and envy, and a hero to fall desperately in love with – read this book!

6 Comments

I really love this novel. It’s remained one of my absolute favorite books by Kleypas, and one of my favorite romance novels period, since it was published. I reread it every so often and it has really stood the test of time for me.

I think Kleypas really started a trend with Derek Craven and the non-aristocrat, self made man. Even beyond that, she made it OK to have a non-aristocrat who didn’t speak perfectly or wasn’t a secret bastard of a Duke. The guy was found in a drainpipe and raised by prostitutes. He speaks with a “lowbrow” accent and is frequently coarse and vulgar compared to the super suave heroes of many books. I love him.

I love Sara too with her impossible curiosity, need to write and simple country life backstory. Kleypas really sells that Derek is truly attracted to her even with (or because of) her lace caps and little glasses long before she gets a glamour makeover. The whole gambling club as setting was also new and unusual for the time although I’ve seen tons of people (including current greats like Duran) use it now but I think Kleypas still did it best here and in Devil in Winter.

Maybe it’s because starchy but kind bluestocking and worldly but vulnerable self made man are amongst my favorite tropes or because I do love the way Kleypas writes simple goodness and optimism, but this book will likely always place in my top ten romances

I did once love this book, though like most Kleypas books, it has not held up for me as well as I had hoped. I’m tired of the Kleypas alpha male who teaches the young ingenue the pleasures of sex. This books has lots of sexual instruction in it. I also did not think that the female author plot was well executed and Sarah’s writing life felt more like a plot contrivance for the romance rather than a genuinely interesting aspect of a character on its own terms. However, the book has a number of very touching scenes. I particularly love the scene where Sarah realizes Derek carries her missing glasses around in his coat pocket and his shocked inability to explain that secret act away.

I agree. Like many people, I loved this book back in the day but I would probably be impatient with the obvious contrivances now (which is why I don’t read much historical romance anymore). And even when I still read and enjoyed Kleypas books I used to skim the sex scenes, which were too long and rather tedious. The little emotional moments are what I read romance for.

And, just my opinion here, but if anyone hasn’t read this book by now, that review would give away too much of the plot. Common complaint of mine with romance reviews, but it’s particularly noticeable here, with an unconventional pairing which would make you wonder how they will get together (if the review didn’t spell it all out).

I disagree about the contrivances, but I agree about the review giving away a lot.

If I am anxious to read a book I usually read the beginning of a review, check out the grade, and come back to read the whole thing after I’ve had a chance to read the book myself. I like to go in relatively unspoiled. It’s also my complaint with many movie trailers, sometimes I feel like I’ve seen the movie before I see the movie.

I imagine a lot of readers do the same thing – I’ve read comments below reviews on other sites to the effect that the poster will come back and read the review after reading the book. But we shouldn’t have to do this. I don’t have any autobuy authors and if a reviewer’s grade is great or terrible I want to know why before deciding whether to buy or not. Give me a brief outline of the book’s premise and then discuss elements like characterisation, prose style, narrative flow, etc. What I don’t want is a detailed description of half the plot. I’ve even seen some reviews that comment on the ending! Lots of times I think “that book sounds good but there’s no point in reading it now because the review gives everything away.”

OK, rant over now…..

Dabney Grinnan
March 5, 2018 at 9:52 am

We try not to give away the plot. This is an old review–I suspect were we to review it today, we would be more careful.